A computer program is often updated to fix program errors, to provide new or changed configuration settings, and/or to incorporate new functionalities. An update of a computer program may involve a variety of different update techniques. For example, the update may be in the form of applying a patch, which is a small piece of software designed to fix program errors. In another example, the update may be in the form of executing an import application, which may replace existing components of a computer program with new components.
During an update of one or more computer programs belonging to a system, there is a period of time where a system may show inconsistent data caused by the update. As an example, multiple computer programs accessing data from a database that is being updated may result in the creation of erroneous or corrupted application objects, such as erroneous bills of delivery, invoices, orders, and other application objects. A typical technique to avoid data corruption or inconsistent data is to prevent execution of the computer program or transactions during the update. However, a shutdown of a computer program may not be practical or even possible given that many business-critical computer programs, for example, must be accessible at all times.